Communication with Stakeholders
Companies must have the consent and support of society. We want to maintain regular and open dialogue with all stakeholders. This is one of our ethical principles. We believe that dialogue offers us an opportunity to prepare for new challenges promptly, to avoid risks and realize our full potential.
WACKER communicates with a number of stakeholders throughout the world: employees, customers, suppliers, analysts, investors, journalists, scientists, neighbors, politicians, representatives from NGOs, authorities and trade associations. We conduct this dialogue in many ways – through the outreach activities of WACKER’s various management levels, sites and departments. The focus is always on face-to-face discussions, i.e. on direct contact.
What’s more, we communicate with stakeholders through:
- Surveys (e.g. on workplace safety, sustainability and reputation)
- Publications (annual report, press releases, employee newspaper, etc.)
- Special events (open-house days, supplier days, investor roadshows, management events, etc.)
- Tradeshows
- Committee work and presentations
During the coronavirus pandemic, we have placed greater emphasis on digital formats for dialogue with our stakeholders.
Effective and Long-Lasting Employee Dialogue
To make sustainable corporate management an even more prominent issue within the Group, the Corporate Sustainability unit launched internal sustainability weeks in 2019 and again in 2020 – though due to the pandemic, the event was held as a virtual conference. Some 60 sustainability projects to conserve resources and reduce the carbon footprint were initiated during the period under review.
WACKER appointed sustainability ambassadors, who supported the campaign by presenting topics and motivating employees at their sites to make a contribution. The Sustainability Council named the Calvert City, Kentucky (USA) site “Sustainability Ambassador of the Year” for exceptionally committed initiatives in 2019; in 2020, that honor went to the site in Plzeň (Czech Republic).